Polar Opposites
by ah0y-carina
Summary: Clare just wants to be as happy and spontaneous as her friends. And she has no idea how. Then, she meets Eli Goldworthy, a dark mysterious boy and decides to spend the day with him. And what she finds out about herself surprises everyone.
1. Chapter 1

From: Alli

Subject: About our movie night….

Sorry Clare can't make it tonight. Hanging with Drew *winkwink*

I sighed, filing through my other texts. I mean, I wasn't surprised Alli bailed, Drew was all she's been thinking about lately. Was I like that when I was with KC? Always wanting to be with him, ignoring my best friends? God, I hope not, I mean…it wouldn't have been worth it anyway. I bit my lip, thinking through that sentence again…not…worth…it. No, it wasn't, all the time spent was a waste.

But at least I had a life then, something to look forward to.

Wait, what am I saying? I have a life, I mean for a while I was prop master Clare, and now I write and now… I bit my lip searching for another answer; now I… Nothing. Nothing at all. I sighed heavily, searching through the pictures on my phone, thinking, _Now what do I do? _I bit my lip, humming the soft tune to "Shark in the water" by VV Brown. No words, just the simple melody.

"_Baby there's a shark in the water, something underneath my bed. Please believe I said. Baby there's a shark in the water, I caught them barking at the—"_

When I reached that point, a loud car horn sounded and I felt my heart jerk. Actually, I felt my whole body jerk and my hands flew up, as if it could protect me from whatever that was. After a minute of collecting myself, my eyes began to search, because I hadn't heard any cars driving. I turned around, finally narrowing my eyes at the person who did that.

"Thanks for the heart attack," I muttered bitterly, looking at him. He had dark hair, that was overgrown, was wearing all black and when I looked at his eyes…they were plainly unreadable.

He smirked, laying a hand on the steering wheel of his unmoving car. "Anytime, free of charge." And then, this cocky grin spread across his face when I rolled my eyes. "Now, what are you doing out here, all alone. It's dangerous, you know."

I shrugged, stuffing my phone in my pocket. "Oh, and who are you to tell me what's dangerous or not?" I almost added _considering you're so…_ but I wasn't really the kind of person who would do that. I'm more of the kind of person who would've walked away, pretending that I didn't notice him at all. But if Alli was going to have a life…well I could too.

He raised an eyebrow, surprised for a moment, but that quickly faded away. "Well, I'm Eli Goldworthy, at your service, Miss…."

"Edwards. I'm Clare Edwards."

He nodded, saying "Miss Clare Edwards" slowly. I stayed still, watching him, until I felt this sort of awkwardness overwhelm me and I yanked my phone out of my pocket to avoid looking stupid. I flipped through my contacts, listening to the loud music pounding out of his hearse's speakers. I could feel his stare, looking over me. I bit my lip, suddenly feeling self-conscious. _What do I look like to him? I'm probably nothing like the people he usually talks to, I mean look at him!_

"Well, Clare. Are you going to stand there like a queer or are you gonna get in?" he asked, the question causing me to hesitate. Was I supposed to go with him? Or was I supposed to say no and run away? I paused, then smiled slightly and turned to him.

"Let's go."

**Hmm.. I guess I changed the way they met a bit. Or a lot xD. Just messing with the degrassi plot just a bit. **

**Well, tell me what you think :D**

**This is my first Degrassi fanfiction so I'd appreciate comments and critique. **


	2. Chapter 2

I leaned back against the seat, which was worn out and soft. The same music still blasted through the speakers, loud and meaningless compared to what I usually listened to. A blend of grey, green and blue blurred past us through the window. Ten minutes, and we didn't have anywhere to go, no ideas whatsoever. I ran a hand through my hair and looked at him, trying to figure out how to change this…slightly awkward moment.

"Well, where do you usually go?" I asked Eli, who glanced at me for a moment, then turned back to look through the windshield.

"What any other teenager goes to," he started and I raised an eyebrow. He didn't seem like any ordinary teenager. "Dark alleys, abandoned warehouses, that kind of thing…" I fought an entertained laugh, since I knew that would only cause him to be more smug. And I wasn't going to let that happen.

"Dark alleys, eh?" I shrugged and out of the corner of my eye, I saw his eyebrow rise. He obviously didn't expect another smirky comment. "It's not really my scene."

He laughed softly, something I didn't expect. "Oh, then what is your scene, Miss Edwards?"

"Malls, libraries, beaches, that kind of deal."

He nodded slowly and muttered "Typical." I rolled my eyes playfully, making sure he saw me. He hardly looked surprised, probably had started getting used to my attitude. Satisfied, I started fiddling with my phone, until out of no where, he announced, "Okay, then mall it is."

I glanced sideways at him, and he shrugged turning a corner. I knew I must have looked surprised, possibly bewildered, I mean, I never expected him to meet me halfway. At all. I thought it through over and over again, maybe I'd thought wrong, maybe he was just as normal as anyone else, just a bit cockier. I bit my lip.

"Relax," he muttered, clearly amused. "I'm not going to rape you or anything, not on the first date."

I glanced at him, slightly confused. "This is our first date?"

He was a bit surprised as realization swept over him, he probably didn't even think of that when he actually said it. I watched as his cheeks grew a pale pink, easy to identify against his pale skin. I smiled slightly at his vulnerability, but didn't say anything, waiting for him to throw something witty back. But after the color retreated, he only said, "I guess it is."

Okay, I didn't really expect that.

We were both silent for a while, him focused on the road, while I was more focused on the floor of his car. Wondering what he was thinking, I doubted that it was anything near what I was thinking of, because most of the time it was just,"_What am I doing? This isn't me!" _And I quickly pushed those thoughts away.

"So, Clare, how old are you?"

"Random much?" I rolled my eyes playfully and replied. "I'm sixteen."

"Really? Such a child…" He muttered, and I hit him playfully on the arm. "I mean, you are to me, I'm twenty two." Eli smirked, glancing at me.

"Sure you are…" I let the sentence trail on for a moment, debating what age he could be. Somewhere between sixteen and nineteen, that was the best I could narrow it down to. He could drive pretty well, so I guess he was older than sixteen. "Let me guess, seventeen?"

He sighed and muttered "damn" really softly, so I could barely hear him. I rolled my eyes playfully, just as we pulled into the mall parking lot.

I couldn't hold back a laugh when he sighed, an exasperated sound and said, "Here we are at your _mall…_" Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him smile, just a bit, when I laughed and then stop himself when I calmed down. "What's so funny?" Eli asked, as if he barely noticed at all.

"Going to the mall is not the end of the world, _Eli._" I held back my laughter this time.

"_Typical_," he started, glancing at me with his dark eyes. "Of course it's the end of the world, if the world wasn't in its last days, I wouldn't be here."

I rolled my eyes, looking at him. In the most serious voice I could manage, I glanced at him and clearly said, "It's not 2012 yet."

He couldn't keep a straight face for more than a milli-second and immediately burst into a loud, entertained laugh. Okay, more than that, that long laugh where you can barely breathe, and then when he finally felt calm enough, he looked at the serious face I kept and started up again. I did learn something from working at the play, and it finally came in handy.

Finally, he collected himself and looked at me, a soft chuckle still creeping in every couple seconds. "You really believe in that?"

I was hoping that I was unreadable as he usually was to me. In the same, nearly emotion-absent voice, I asked. "Of course. You don't?" He glanced at me with a face that said, "_really?"_ I stared at him with an absent expression and said. "If you're not prepared, Eli, you cannot possibly survive. You need to be prepared."

He looked away for a moment, looking forward. Eli looked confused; this was obviously not the person he believed I would be. He didn't look at me when he asked, "So you're scared of the whole apocalypse thing?"

I rolled my eyes, but he didn't see me, considering the way he didn't move. In a finally joking voice, I told him "No, of course not. Who said it was even going to happen?"

Eli glanced at me, his face showing strict confusion. "What? You just said…"

I laughed. "I'm an actress, boy. It was pretty good, wasn't it?" He didn't reply, just stared at me, the confusion remaining in his expression. I giggled and unbuckled myself, climbing out of the hearse. No sound came from his side, even after I opened the door, so I peeked in, looking at him.

"Aren't you coming?"

I smiled as I watch a slight grin play on his lips. He started getting out and I shut the door, waiting for him in the front.

I think I'm starting to like the new Clare.

**So, what do you think? ;)**

**Thank you for the reviews on the first chapter, and I'd love to hear from you guys again.**

**Haha, what's your view on 2012?**

**Well, I'll try to update tomorrow. If I can't, I will the day after that. Promise.**


	3. Chapter 3

"You know, you'd get there before it closes if you walked faster," Eli scoffed, stopping again for me to catch up. He'd already done that twice, and we haven't even gotten into the building yet. I laughed at his slightly annoyed expression, that face that wondered why he was even here with a total and complete stranger. But he was, and the slight smile that would appear on his face every so often showed me he was completely upset that he was here. I looked forward, the door just a across the street.

I laughed softly, stopping completely when I passed by him, waiting for cars to pass before I crossed the street. "You know, if you slowed down every so often, you might enjoy life a bit more. Stop and smell the roses."

He scoffed, muttering "Like I haven't heard that before." Then in a louder voice, he stated, "Maybe, but there's no roses here to stop for." Eli glanced at me and I pretended not to notice. "Well, not any red ones."

I bit my lip and crossed the street, assuming he was following me. I didn't check to see if he was there, but I picked up the pace so he wouldn't end up right next to me and catch me blushing madly. Finally I pushed the door open and I felt the cool air conditioning, at least a ten degree difference. It felt nice and the redness of my face melted away, absorbed by the cool air. Just in time too, Eli appeared next to me.

"And here we are…" he let the sentence trail, looking around the building. I glanced around too, setting my eyes on the little valley of teenage shops on the second floor. I smiled and turned to Eli, watching as he realized my gaze and met it, this sly smile making its way onto his lips. I stared at his dark eyes.

"Eli…" I began, forgetting what I was about to say, at least at the moment.

He glanced at me, watching the way my eyes changed when I hesitated, not looking as bright anymore. I was sure that there was a distinct change, while I scrambled for what I was going to tell him. Something about… "Yes, Miss Edwards?"

I bit my lip, smiling as it snapped into my mind. "Oh." I looked back at him. "Let's go upstairs, everyone knows the better shops are up there. "

He stared at me skeptically. "By better stores…you mean the preppy teenage ones? I don't think so, Clare."

I shook my head, glancing back up to the second level, wondering just how much I could control him. "C'mon, I really want to go." I took his hand, entwining our finger, looking at him with the most innocent eyes I could manage. My dad always said my puppy dog face was unbeatable, because all I needed to use were my blue eyes and I could get virtually anything I wanted. I've just never used it for…evil before. I watched as his expression changed, a slight blush, his eyes staring into mine. The way he lost his smirk and was in captivated, I had him now.

He nodded slowly saying, "Sure, let's go."

I giggled, pulling him toward the escalator. I glanced back to see his face, a look that clearly stated, _"What just happened?" _and laughed a little more. He knew he'd gotten himself into something, just like I know I just did. The new Clare's got him now.

**Yeah, short, I know. The next chapter will be longer and will have a little more manipulation ;)**

**Sorry I delayed another day, didn't have that much time. **

**Well, tell me what you think ;) Comments, concerns, criticism. **

**Also, I'm working on a new story, here's a hint, it involves Clare and JT. You'll see how that works. :D**


	4. Chapter 4

I swung my bag, looking around for the next place I wanted to go. I only managed to go to Starbucks so far, where I had gotten a frappachio. I hadn't really pushed my boundries yet and I had no idea how far I could go. Actually how far I could get _him_ to go. So far, he hadn't protested much, just had that annoyed expression which I assumed was almost natrual for him. Okay, not _natural_, just _used more._

I sipped my frappachino quietly, while searching for the next place to go. My eyes swept across the novelty stores like _Yankee Candles _and _Pier One_, which I haven't gone into voluntary in years. Then I glanced at places like _Spencer's Gifts _and _Hot Topic, _which I would honestly feel guilty going into. I wasn't the type to go into stores like those. Actually, my whole life I stuck to department stores like _Khols, JC Penney _and _Sears_ because that's where my parents would take me.

Finally my eyes settled on Hollister, which I went in with Alli, sometimes...

I turned to Eli, a slight smile on my face. "Eli, you up for another store?"

He shook his head, an amused smirk on his lips, something I probably should have expected. "I don't now Miss Edwards, if it was anything like the first one, I'd have to say I'm concerned about the amount of caffine you're consuming." I fought an eye roll, that wasn't how I'd get what I wanted.

"That's sweet of you," I started, nearly mezmorized by the little game we were playing, the way we would talk properly, something I doubt he did often. I think I'm just, plainly amusing him. "But it's not exactly _that _kind of store." He raised an eyebrow as if to say _"then what kind of store is it...?" _I looked away, so he'd have to ask me himself.

He paused for a while, positive he didn't want ask me and assumed I was smart enough to get the hint. Of course I did, but I kind of wanted him to know about the little game I was playing. Finally, he sighed and asked "Then what kind of store is it?" in a polite voice.

"Just a clothing store, a normality," I replied, sipping my frappachino nonchalantly.

Eli raised an eyebrow, searching for what I was talking about. I could tell he was measuring what _normality _meant in my sense, although it wasn't a normality for me at all. He looked around, trying to decide which store I would go in to. Most of them weren't for teenagers, unless you counted the department stores on both sides of us, Hollister was a diamond in the rough. And I was surprised he hadn't caught on yet.

Finally he did and Eli shook his head furiously muttering, "No, no, no." I glanced at him with an eyebrow raised. "No, I'm _not _going into Hollister, no way."

I looked at him with innocent eyes, "What's wrong with Hollister?"

Eli rolled his eyes at me, managing a small scoff. "What's wrong with it? How can you not know?" I looked at him, making sure to catch his gaze. "I can smell it from here, any place like that, Eli does not go into." He said in a state-of-fact sort of way. I fought an eye roll, using what I could, pushing the limits.

"No you can't." I smiled at him, but he kept that stubborn look. "It's not bad at all, I doubt you've even been there."

"Trust me, I have. And I'm not going back."

I bit my lip, trying to keep up that act of innocence, wondering what else I could do with my blue eyes, for now all I was doing was looking at him, imagining the look of a puppy. That wasn't enough, so I tried a bit of a pout and saw his expression get a little softer. I fought the temptation to smile brilliantly, reaching for his hand to distract myself for a small moment.

He glanced down at our hands and then looked up and pretended not to notice. Eli looked around, while I kept my gaze at him. This was supposed to be just to get him into that store, but I don't know, I did kind of like looking at him, taking in the mysterious person he was. With his dark hair, which sometimes seemed a dark shade of brown, but also seemed pitch black. And his wandering eyes, which were also dark, the pupils hard to tell apart from the irises, but they were nice.

I shook my head a bit, returning to reality, this was just an experiment, an acting exercise, even. It was nothing more.

I ran a hand through my hair, looking up at him. He finally gave up and returned my gaze, this slight ghost of a smile appearing on his lips. But he quickly got rid of it, back to his normal smirk. "C'mon, Eli," I began, squeezing his hand. "What do _I _have to do to get _you _into that store?"

He shook his head slowly, "Nothing you do will get me into that store."

Once again his voice was sure. Although, his voice didn't seem as strong when he said "nothing". I figured that was something I could use. "_Nothing? _I don't think so. There has to be something. I mean, I'll do almost anything." I made sure to emphasize _almost _to keep myself out of any trouble.

"Fine," he began and I smiled slightly. "You'll have to do something for me, someday. Maybe today, maybe in a week from now, but you have to do it." I was about to interject, but he cut me off. "It's nothing too crazy, well it won't have to be unless you want it to. You'll understand when it happens."

I thought that through, a few times actually. It would only be crazy if I wanted to be, and I was willing to take that chance. "Okay, deal." I smiled, watching as he grinned back at me. "Now let's go to Hollister."

I tugged on his hand, pulling him toward the open doors.

**Comments? Critique?**

**I'm open to it all. ;) **

**What do you think of the "new clare"?**


	5. Chapter 5

I stood on my tip-toes, trying to reach for this adorable shirt that was just a little too tall for me. I sighed, I still wasn't tall enough. My hand could only brush the hanger, but I could wrap my fingers around it. I was surprised to see a hand grab the shirt for me, handing it over to me. "Oh, thank you..." I muttered, running a hand over the fabric.

"Well, if I didn't help you I'd be stuck in here longer, wouldn't I?" Eli scoffed and I looked up to catch him mid-eyeroll a smirk on his lips.

Honestly, I was a bit surprised. He'd been standing in the corner for the duration of our time here. I didn't even think he was paying attention to what I was doing, and I was surprised that he hadn't tried to make an escape yet, I assumed he would have just slipped out the doors. Hadn't he had enough of my girly attitude yet? Apparently not, because he looked around, asking me, "Are you done? Can we move on?"

I laughed, and watched him smile slightly. My mom always told me my laugh was a euphonic sound, but I had never really believed her. For some reason, Eli seemed to prove that theory. I blushed softly, looking over at the cash register. "Yeah, I think I'm done here."

I imagined his smirk, I already knew a lot about him, even though he was practically a stranger. A stranger who didn't seem to mind having me around.

I started toward the cash register, setting a shirt and a necklace on the counter. The cashier made it's usual small talk, going on to tell me about another promotion they were having, but I shrugged, uninterested. My eyes moved on to Eli, standing right where i left him, looking over the various t-shirts they had hung up. Suddenly a voice startled me, the cashier who asked, "Who's that?"

I blushed, surprised I had been caught staring at him. I glanced at the cashier, who's hazel eyes were looking at Eli, following my gaze. "Oh...that's a..." I paused, what was I supposed to tell her? If I told her the truth, he was some stranger, well she'd probably call someone. But I didn't have much time, so I answered, "A friend of mine."

"Just a friend?" She asked. I raised an eyebrow, this wasn't anything of her concern. But I knew she was just trying to be nice, I figured she was a matchmaker around her friends.

I shrugged. "Just a friend. For the time being."

She nodded slowly, like she understood that completly. I shrugged, handing her the money, while she gave me my bag. She smiled when I walked back to Eli, who looked at me with a confused expression, as if to say "_Who's the freak staring at us?" _I shrugged like I didn't know and lead him out the door, ignoring the smile that was certianly burning a hole in my back.

Eli didn't seem to care anymore, and looked around. "I'm hungry," he explained, gravitating toward the corner, which was the only thing keeping us away from the food court. He probably had no idea how terrible their selection was, or he was too hungry to care.

"I am too," I replied, glancing to look if anything had changed in there. Nope, still the same disgustingly greasy food. "But can we at least go to somewhere...decent?"

He rolled his eyes, "I should have expected you to say something like that. Where do you wanna go?"

I smiled slightly, satisified he was leaving so much to me. Then again, that wasn't always a good thing, since I had no idea where to go. I paused thinking. "How about something...Mexican?"

Eli chuckled softly, "Are you reading my mind. I was just thinking about tacos." 

I rolled my eyes playfully, "Of course I am. How could you even question that?"

He shrugged, heading for the door we came in from. I followed him, making sure to keep pace so he wouldn't go on about how I was walking too slow again. Why did I actually care if he thought? Well, that was an element of the old Clare I couldn't let go of.

In an instant, we were standing outside of his hearse, him gesturing for me to get in. I did, setting my bag on the floor while he got in on the driver's side. He started backing out slowly, while I put on my seatbelt. I smiled slightly, looking out the window, watching the grass and trees fly by. I knew there was a smile playing on my lips right now, because I was having quite a bit of fun.

**Kind of short, but this chapter was more of a filler, trust me I have more planned for the next chapter.**

**Anyway, I guess how the cashier reacted should give you the faintest idea of how Clare and Eli act around eachother. **

**And writing this makes me crave some mexican food. I'm gonna go fix that xD**


	6. Chapter 6

I smiled as we walked into the restaurant, _Mexico Lindo_. I had always liked the smell of Mexican food, kind of spicy, but it also had a sort of sweet smell to it, although that could have just been the churros. It was one of those 'seat yourself' diners, so we sat next to the window, which showed a nice view of the little city. I sat on the side opposite of the door, Eli sitting across from me. I bit my lip, looking over the menu.

Eli, who had already decided what he was going to get, leaned back against the seat, looking around. Finally his eyes settled on me, connecting with mine when I peeked over the menu.

Stunned, my face flushed and I ducked back down. I was sure he had a smirk on his lips right now.

When I finally set the menu down on the table, he still had is eyes set on me, and sure enough a smirk, but it was different than the ones I'd seen earlier today. I didn't know how, but it was. Pulling together about _all _the confidence I had in me, I asked, "What?"

Real impressive, right?

He shrugged, moving his eyes away, without a single word. I bit my lip, just as the water came by, a Latina girl with long raven black hair and red nails. "¡Hola! Have you two decided what you would like today?" She glanced at me for a second, but moved her eyes to Eli, who didn't even look at her, he just looked down at the menu, explained what he wanted and looked at me.

I nodded, ignoring the annoyed look from the waitress and quickly explained my order. She walked away, more like strode away, without looking back at us. I swore I heard her scoff.

I looked up at Eli and watched as he rolled his eyes at her and started speaking again, giving me no time to react. "Okay, Clare, remember when you agreed to do something for me? When I went into hel—Hollister for you?"

I nodded slowly, "How can I forget? 'It won't be too crazy, unless you want it to be'" I muttered, trying to recall his exact words.

"Right," he began, looking down. "Anyway, I think this would be the place to do it."

I looked around, the place had a fair amount of people, fifteen or twenty. Enough people to be counted as witnesses, if he was under-exaggerating. I blushed, shaking my head, "Not here, there's too many people. I thought we were going to do it in like...private."

He laughed lightly, "See, already backing out when you don't know what it is. Really, Clare, it's not that big a deal, I would just very much enjoy it." He paused, frowning for a second. "Well, I hope I'll enjoy it, because it can really go either way..." Eli shook his head as if to shake that idea away.

I rolled my eyes, leaning onto the table, "Are you going to tell me?"

Eli shook his head, looking at me with his smoky eyes. "Clare, Clare," he paused, I guess for "dramatic effect". I sighed heavily, waiting for him to finish his sentence, finally he did, "Be patient, I need the right moment."

I scoffed, "The right moment? We're in the middle of a Mexican restaurant, do you expect it to get dramatic in here?" He rolled his eyes, breathing slowly, just as the noise began to die down. Well, it wasn't really dying down, I think it just sort of faded away, I've heard that happens. When you're... distracted.

He smirked, signaling me to come closer, but I was already leaning on the table. Finally he sighed and stood up, slipping into my booth, turning to face me. I slipped one bent leg onto the seat, so I was turned so I was looking into his eyes. He spoke softly at first, like he barely wanted me too hear it, "Dramatic enough for you?"

I nodded slightly, making the motion small so I didn't ruin the moment that surrounded us.

He smirked slightly, well, it was more of a quarter-smile. I blushed slightly, I've been doing that lately. He was right, it was dramatic, the way the moment was building. Finally, in a soft whisper, like it was top secret, he told me, "Do something, anything, that no one would ever _dream _of you doing."

I bit my lip, I'd been doing that all day. My eyes searched him, trying to decide if he was thinking of something in particular. "Like...what?"

He shrugged, still speaking in that low voice, "I don't care. You could tell off the waitress because her nails don't match her outfit or something. Like I said, anything."

I paused, thinking. An idea sprung to my mind, but I wasn't sure if it was right, but it did fit his criteria. "I have an idea... but I'm not sure if it's what you're thinking of."

He looked at me, searching for a way into my mind, I scootched closer.

Eli bit his lip, "Like I said, anything."

**Is that a cliffhanger? I think so xD**

**Maybe i'll post later today, if I get an idea how much you guys want it.**

**Reviews...? **


	7. Chapter 7

I paused, I couldn't move those few inches to meet him, I just couldn't. It wasn't _me, _but that was the whole point, wasn't it? I could just imagine Alli, telling me, "You'll never get a chance like this, it's so _easy_!" And then Darcy, who never even got to meet KC. She'd want me to take the chance, she was my older sister, but I was frozen, my eyes boring into his. I didn't get anything from his eyes, but there was no smirk on his face, no expression at all. How could I do this with someone who was so expressionless?

Then he closed his eyes for the shortest moment, moving slightly backwards.

And I did it, I put a hand on his shoulder and touched my lips to his, the action was less than a moment. He seemed stunned at first then his mouth moved slowly with mine, his hand moving to my waist, then up to my arm, pulling me closer. I smiled slightly against his lips, my hand moving to the back of his neck. It felt so _different. _No, more than that, it felt _right_. Even under these circumstances- oh, god.

Of course it was at that moment I _realized_ the circumstances, I was kissing an _almost_ stranger in the middle of a Mexican restaurant. Although I wasn't sure I wanted to let go, I did, pulling away slowly.

I looked down just as the waitress set our food in front of us, raising an eyebrow and the new seating arangement. I blushed and muttered a soft "thank you", not moving until she walked away. When I heard loud footsteps, I looked up, trying to ignore Eli's gaze.

He wasn't going to let it go, that was for sure, he started talking, not even touching his food. "That was quite a move, Miss Edwards." He laughed softly. "I think that waitress was jealous."

"Think? She practically gave me a death glare, I know she was."

He smiled slightly, clearly amused by that question. "Nahh, she's not really my type. And I'm probably not hers."

Finally gathering some courage from the fact he could still joke about this, I asked, "Oh, really? So your type isn't the insanely tall and beautiful?"

He scoffed, shaking his head. "Nope, that's not it, my type is not the tall and conceded."

I bit my lip, he thought she was conceded? "Oh, then what is your type, Mr. Goldsworthy?" I was surprised I managed a joking tone when I was so on edge. He hadn't said anything about that kiss? Did I make a mistake, I mean anyone would have reacted like that if they were caught up in the moment. I sighed, waiting for the answer.

He shrugged, "That's a tough one. Maybe a blue eyed girl, not much shorter than I. Who's snarky and obviously a little genious." He glanced at me and smiled. "Maybe someone I don't really know yet, who I need some time to figure out. I think that's my type."

I blushed, unsure what to say.

Eli didn't mind, he went on for me. "You know, I was quite surprised about how enjoyable that kiss was." Was he teasing me? I felt my cheeks burn hotter. "Really, it's not really my style, kissing in public." He shrugged, leaning back against the seat. "And I'm positive that was a first for you too."

How did he know so much? How could he joke about this when I was so confused. I figured I had to say something soon, so I muttered, "I don't really feel hungry anymore."

Eli laughed softly, "Reading my mind again? I'm not hungry anymore either." He smirked and called over the waitress for the check. She trudged over, shoulders slumped, glaring at us.

"Already?" She asked with an annoyed voice. Slamming the check on the dinner table, she added, "Did you two have fun?"

Eli smirked, looking up at her, "Oh, we did. _A lot._" He turned to me and did that sort of half-nod that "cool" guys did in cheesy sitcoms. I was confused at first, but when I saw his smirk, I realized what he wanted me to do. Something no one could _dream _of my doing.

"By the way," I began, glancing over her fire red nails and her outfit, which was a much duller color. "You're nails don't match with your outfit, _very _trashy."

She rolled her eyes, making that exasperated spolied-rich kid grunt and stomping away, she was obviously too talented. I turned and saw Eli, staring at me with a bemused expression, a wide smile on his face. "You know, Clare," he began, pulling out his wallet. "I think this could be something good." He chuckled, pulling out some money.

**I enjoyed writing this chapter, very much so. **

**Who wouldn't?**

**Tell me what you think **

**Oh, and I don't think I ever gave you a link to my other story, so here; .net/s/6234888/1/With_The_Aid_Of_An_Angel**


	8. Chapter 8

I was laying at my back, looking up at my ceiling, which still had those little glow in the dark starts my mother put up there when I was a little girl. They'd since lost their green glow, and were just... dull. They didn't fit in with the rest of my room, not with my organized desk, neat bed and color-coded closet. But, even the smallest thing, like those dull green stars reminded me of my day with Eli. I had no idea how these stars fit, except for the way they sort of matched that slight green tint to his eyes.

He'd driven my home right after our little...kiss in that Mexican restaurant. And I haven't stop thinking of him since.

I barely knew anything about Eli, what grade was he in? Does he go to Degrassi? I wondered if he was new, what his family was like, what his middle name was... Then I wondered if he was thinking about me the same way I was thinking about him, wondering the little details about the person we spent the entire day with. I thought this all through for several hours, laying my head back on my pillow.

Until the phone rang. "Hello?" I answered, not bothering to look at the caller id.

"Clare!" Alli's voice rang through the phone, her voice filled with excitement. Finally distracted, I wondered what her day was like. Just on cue she said, "I have to tell you about my day with Drew."

I laughed, sitting up and turning off the radio that had been playing for...who knows how long. It was gong on and on while I thought. "I'm all ears."

I could almost see her eye roll, and that little joke she'd always tell when I said that. "You're not _all _ears, I bet those curls of yours block what I'm saying." I laughed softly, a smile on my face. "So, we met at the Dot around noon, you know, to prepare for school starting... Monday."

I sighed, school started on _Monday_. That only left tomorrow, and I there wasn't much of a chance of me seeing Eli tomorrow. I'll probably never see him anymore, that was a one time experiment. "...How adorable is that?" That brought me back to reality and I answered quickly, making it seem like I never let my mind drift away from her voice.

"Oh,_ very cute,_" I replied twirling a curl around my index finger guiltily.

It's a good thing we're not videochatting.

I stepped off the bus, my right hand clinging on to my messenger bag. I sighed, looking over the school, I was back, and it stayed just how I'd left it as a freshman. Sophomore year was beginning today, and I was positive this year it would be different. I mean, my friends had changed, KC pulled apart from Connor, who I hadn't talked to in a long time. Alli would be busy with Drew and there was the obvious thing, everyone looked different. Alli was twice as beautiful, KC had grown taller and Connor more mature.

And then there was me, Clare, who had managed to get rid of her glasses, get a haircut and completely change how I wore my hair, which was in curls, instead of a ponytail. And my clothes, my style had changed too. No one was the same as they were freshman year.

Alli appeared at my side before I even realized and smiled. "Clare!" I turned and smiled at her, hugging her when she pulled me into one. She laughed, "God, you look so much more beautiful this year. KC is gonna be so jealous."

I rolled my eyes, "KC has Jenna, I don't think so."

"Don't lie to yourself," A voice said slowly, but it wasn't Alli, it was someone who I remembered distinctly from Saturday. I turned to face him, listening as he continued, "Whoever KC is, I'm sure he's jealous."

"See," Alli stated, gesturing to Eli's tall, dark figure. "Even this guy agrees with me." She hesitated, playing with one of her curls and shifting her weight. "Who, exactly, are you?" She asked raising an eyebrow at him.

He nodded, muttering, "Right," before actually explaining who he was. I was about to open my mouth and make up some sort of excuse, but he stopped me, half-smiling at Alli. "I'm Eli Goldsworthy, I met Clare a couple days ago." Alli's eyes moved to me.

I wished I could hide from her, _"we need to talk about this" _expression. I hadn't told her about him last night on the phone, but that was when I was convinced I would never see him again.

Evidently, I had been mistaken.

"Right," I confirmed, moving my eyes to Eli to avoid Alli's look. "And Eli, this is my best friend, Alli." I gestured to her, smiling awkwardly when she nodded slightly, offering a sweet smile.

"Nice to meet you," she said softly.

"You too," he replied, wrapping his right hand around the strap of his backpack. I wasn't sure what to say, and all I wanted to do was disappear into the school, but I was the bridge binding them and one of them would follow me inside. And I didn't want to face Alli's questions nor did I want to talk to Eli until I could compose some sort of excuse why I wasn't being the _new _Clare at this moment.

Luckily, one of them decided to save me.

"Well, I should get to homeroom, do either of you know where... Mr. Maike's class is?" Eli asked, shifting his weight to his other foot.

Alli smiled slightly, to hide how impressed she was. "You're in... eleventh grade?"

He nodded slowly, a slight smirk on his lips. "Yeah. Does that mean you know?" Getting right to the point, I liked that quality of him.

"Yeah, go in the main hall, turn right and then right again, it's in that hallway."

Eli nodded, turning to smile at us once more. "Okay, thanks Alli. And Clare..." I sucked in a subtle breath, looking at him. Finally he finished, "I'll...see you around." Then he walked up the staircase into the school.

I turned and saw Alli staring at me with her brown eyes. _Ohmygod. _

I calmed down when she said simply, "Make up an excuse for lunch." And then she smirked, her expression shifting to a smile when she saw Drew. She walked toward him, completely dismissing me. I hope lunch never comes.

**Well, the next chapter will be lunch, I suppose.**

**That'll be_ a lot _of fun to write.**

**Tell me what you think :D**


	9. Chapter 9

"Okay," I began, thinking up a legitimate faux explanation. I'd tried to write one up in all four of my classes before lunch, but none of them would get passed Alli. I sighed heavily, none of them would, except the truth, which I really didn't want to tell her. But of course, she would get it out of me eventually. "Eli moved into the neighborhood, right down the street, and we hung out for a while over the weekend."

She rolled her eyes, shoulders slumped, looking at me. "You're a _genious_ and that's _all _you could come up with? Try a little harder, Clare!"

I sighed, stabbing a strawberry with a fork before popping it in my mouth. "I'm not a liar, Alli!" I retorted, running a hand through my curly hair. "It's not a big deal," I added, trying to avoid her unbelieving gaze.

"No, I know you, Clare-Bear." I cringed, I hated that nickname, Jenna had given it to me and I plainly _hated _Jenna. It was obvious Alli had spent too much time with her this summer. "And I can tell that whatever went down with Eli, well it was a big deal."

I rolled my eyes, chewing another strawberry. "Fine. It was a big deal."

She smiled triumphantly, knowing she would get the truth pretty fast. "Okay, details, let's revisit how Clare Edwards met her _future _boyfriend." I shut my eyes, shaking my head. He like the _new _Clare, not the one that would be in this school. "First, when and where?" I bit my lip, thinking it through. There were a lot of _wheres_.

"Fine, it was Saturday afternoon," I muttered, suddenly extremely sensitive about the students that passed by our little table. "And I think I met him around the Dot... but we went to the mall. And a Mexican restaurant..."

I let the sentence trail, trying to decide how to explain all of this. I bit my lip, trying to organize the sequence of events, because all I could really remember was that moment when our lips met, that moment that felt to _perfect_. Suddenly I heard the sound, footsteps, then the mutter of "crap," coming from Alli. She quickly added, "Just write it down. _All _of it."

I laughed softly, taking out a piece of lined paper out of my binder just as Eli's voice forced my eyes to move up and meet his lovely green ones. "Hello, girls," he said sweetly, a small smile on his lips. "Anyone sitting here?" He asked, moving his hand to one of the seats.

Alli smiled, a little awkwardly, and muttered, "No, it's open."

He raised an eyebrow subtly and pulled the chair out. I glanced at his nails that were black, but not a solid black, it looked like they were done with marker. Then I looked at the paper, scrawling some about the part when I got in the car. "Whatcha writing there, Clare?"

I blushed softly, a little surprised, so surprised, the pen slipped out of my hands.

"Oh, it's a..." I hesitated, I really was a terrible liar, no matter who I was talking to. And I didn't have much time, which made it worse. "It's a science essay." Was my excuse. I bit my lip, knowing that wasn't good enough.

He raised an eyebrow and a small smirk appeared on his lips. "Oh, I see. Must have a hard teacher, to have an essay on _the first day._"

"Oh, we do," Alli interjected. "We have Mr. Callaway, a very hard tenth grade teacher. But you wouldn't know that since you're new here," She paused, pretending to think. _Ohmygod, Alli, don't. _I bit my lip a little harder, knowing she was going to use this to learn everything she possibly could about him. "Where are you from, anyway?"

He nodded, his smirk turning into a smile, "British Columbia."

She nodded, "Nice part of Canada." I rolled my eyes, she's never been there. I returned to my writing and just listened to the little conversation they were having.

"Nah, this is nicer," he replied.

"Oh, why would you say that?" Alli obviously didn't think it was enough to lure information out of _me, _she was going to try and get it from _Eli _too. He seemed aware of it, thankfully and took it loosely, answering with exactly she wanted to hear.

"Oh, just the people. I've only met a few, but so far they're..." He paused, as if searching for the right words. I wondered what he was thinking. "Sweet, nice, kind. And... spontaneous."

I looked up for a moment, stunned by the irony. I was just writing about our kiss when I saw them, both of them looking at me. Eli's stare was impossible to read, except for that smirk that I was starting to think was his trademark. I kind of liked it, so I didn't mind. And then there was Alli, who was staring at me, her eyes wide. She wanted to know the story, _now. _She quickly mouthed the words, "what did you _do _with him?" I sent a glare her way.

Eli chuckled softly, just as the bell rang for our next class. Thankfully. "What class do you have next?"

I paused, "Eleventh grade advanced english." I cringed at how... not _new _Clare that sounded.

He smirked, "Oh, what do you know? Me too."

I blushed slightly when he turned away, stuffing the paper in Alli's hand. Her eyes widened excitedly, I could see them out of the corner of my eye when I left with Eli to go to class.

I've never had a first day of school like this.

**What do you think?**

**;) **


	10. Chapter 10

I leaned into the desk when we got to English class, as the teacher droned on and on about the syllabus. I'd done a lot of thinking today, and my mind was tired, from all that planing and attempts at being sneaky. I leaned a bit more forward, my eyelids growing heavier, but not so heavy I didn't see Eli's back, his dark hair from behind. He looked back at me every so often, but stopped when he saw how tired I was and kept forward, to not look conspicuous. I haven't had such a terrible first day... ever.

"Okay, this year you're partners will be..." Our English teacher scrambled for her board, her preset partners.

I sighed and lifted my head up a bit, this was so out of character for me. And of course it was here, when I was completely out of place, I was the only sophomore in this classroom. Finally, the teacher made a satisfied sound and lifted her board.

"Okay, partners are Amy and James, Carlos and Emily, Camilla and Alexander, Elijah and Clare."

That's when I stopped listening, _did she just say? _Was there another Elijah here? I bit my lip and looked up, wide awake from that little shock and the sight of Eli, turning to smirk at me. I shook my head slowly, moving my eyes down to my hands.

_This is just _great_,_ I thought to myself, ignoring our teacher as she called out all the other English partners.

Finally, she caught my attention again, when she started speaking about our first assignment. "You and you're partner will need to know each other pretty well this year, if you expect to survive high school." She stopped while some people chucked, although I was chewing my lip, praying it wouldn't be too bad.

"So you're gonna," she paused. "Excuse me, _going to_, learn about them, about where they grew up, their pet peeves, their favorite bands. Those small things that really help you learn about them."

Eli turned to me and shrugged, a gesture that was supposed to mean, "This shouldn't be _too _bad." But I shook my head as she continued.

"This is going to be personal, since you will know your partner _personally_." I rolled my eyes, was that _supposed _to be clever? "And then you'll write a paper on them."

I raised an eyebrow. I was really supposed to know my little social experiment enough that I can write a _paper_ on him? That didn't seem so bad, but I wasn't sure how much I wanted him to know about _me_, he would know about my parents fighting, my sister, the person I really am. I shut my eyes and played with my hands, wondering how this would all unwind.

Because, I knew it wouldn't be good.

I yawned, turning over again in my bed. I had spent all week wondering what I would learn about Eli, and he promised that we would just spend Saturday together and we would learn everything we needed for the paper then. It was Saturday morning, and suddenly, I wasn't worried about what I would learn about Eli, I was worried about actually _having_ to get up.

"Clare-bear?" A voice asked softly. My mother.

"Mmm?" I'd meant to speak actual words, but they wouldn't form. I shook my head and let my curls fall untidily around my head. It would take forever to brush them out.

"Honey, you're friend is here."

Alli? What was Alli doing here so early in the morning? She was almost never up this early. I sat up and huffed, shaking my curls out of my eyes. I looked at my mom who smiled slightly.

"You might wanna dress up for this one. He's a cutie." Then she winked, closing the door. I raised an eyebrow. _Cutie? _

I shook my head and got dressed quickly, making sure to move fast so I could get into the bathroom and spend at least ten minutes trying to calm my hair. Then I went down the stairs, making sure to look in the mirror, it was okay, and it wasn't going to get any better. Then I saw the "cutie".

"Eli?"

**Is that a cliffhanger? I'm not sure xD**

**Tell me what you think(:**


	11. Chapter 11

"Hey, Clare," Eli replied, a smirk on his lips. I raised an eyebrow, but mostly I was stuck, gaping at the boy who was standing in my kitchen, a glass of water in his right hand.

I watched as his eyes traced over my outfit, which I had put on messily and carelessly, figuring it would be either Connor or KC down here, someone who was a little more familiar. Even though, I wasn't too excited to see either of them.

"Eli..." I let his name trail for a moment. "What are you doing here?"

He chuckled and took a sip of his water, bringing the glass to his lips. "I thought it was obvious," he began, a slight smile appearing on his face. "I figured we should start on our project a little earlier then planned. We're gonna need _a lot _of time to find out enough about each other to write a whole _paper_."

"I," I paused, unsure what to say. He was right, but I wasn't sure if he was really thinking what he was saying. I bit my lip. _He _always seemed to have that easiness and that smirk that he held the day we met. I was back to the old Clare, and honestly, I was feeling nervous, but I tried to switch new Clare on for just a moment. "You're right. We should start earlier, c'mon."

I headed toward the door, ignoring that moment when he raised his eyebrow, a little surprised.

He followed me out and I walked over to his car, glancing at him. He was smiling, a grin mixed with a slight smirk. I rolled my eyes playfully and got into the passenger's seat. And honestly, I was surprised at how I completely changed by switching to new Clare. I wasn't as nervous.

I wasn't sure how that just _happened. _

Suddenly, I was snapped out of my thoughts as the car started moving and Eli glanced at me. "We'll start with you first. What's your... favorite color?" He looked back at me with an amused smile.

"Really, you're going to start there? I think you're supposed to dig a little deeper than that. And it's purple."

He scoffed. "Favorite colors can be deep. Like, what if you're deeply afraid of blue because when you were little a blue bird flew at your head and nearly killed you. Deep." I rolled my eyes at him and fought a laugh. He continued. "Fine, what is the one of your childhood memories that scared you the most?"

I bit my lip, I had been worried about this type of question. I glanced out the window, since he was too focused on the road. "It wasn't really a childhood memory, I was probably thirteen."

He shrugged. "Still counts."

I looked over at Eli for a moment, watching as he drove down the road. "It was what made me scared of high school, of parties..." I paused as the memory hit me. "My sister, Darcy, she was on a fieldtrip, a school one. And she was raped." I shook my head, remembering what happened, the way it terrified me. "And it got to her, upset her a lot. She pushed me—no, everyone—away. She tried to commit suicide, the night haunted her so much."

Eli was silent for a long moment. I fought the tears behind my eyelids. "Wow," he muttered, just as he pulled into a parking lot in the middle of the park. "So you're scared of that happening to you, you're scared to be haunted like that."

I nodded slowly, opening the door as I forced away that memory.

"Hey, don't worry. I'm not gonna let that happen to you, I care too much to let someone do that to you."

I looked up at him. "You barely know me."

"I know you enough."

**I'm not sure if I like this, it's kind of short. :P**

**But I've been thinking a lot about Darcy lately and since they were doing this project, I found it easy to fit her into it.**

**So, tell me what you think.**


	12. Chapter 12

I was starting to drift, having thought over my day with Eli several times over. We basically walked all around the town, swinging by the park, the mall, the downtown area, and of course, Degrassi, all while asking each other various questions. It wasn't even like we needed to write it all down, just listening to it, well it was all memorable, at least to me. And I guess the way he looked so _interested _when I told him my answers, well I guess that counts as him finding it memorable too. I smiled to myself at the memory as my eyes started to close, only to be awakened by the loud sound of my phone ringing.

Surprised, I let out a soft sigh and glanced at the clock, _11:52. _

I was almost positive there was _only _one person who would call me this late, so I yawned and answered my phone, expecting Alli's voice to sound at the other end. But of course, I was wrong and my "Hello" was answered by the familiar sound of my sister, Darcy.

"Hey, Clare," she said, sounded even more bubbly than usual. She never really talked to _me _this way, I was always her little know-it-all sister. But of course, a lot had changed since I had last seen her.

I bit my lip, fighting a yawn. "Oh, hi Darcy… what are you—"

Of course, she didn't bother to let me finish my question, just went on. "So, I heard about your new haircut, it's really nice on you. Oh and the no-glasses thing, very nice. Really, Clare-bear, you have changed _a lot _since I was back home." 

I raised an eyebrow; I hadn't sent her any pictures with my new haircut. The last picture she got from me, well, it was one I took with KC when we had first gotten together, and we all know how long ago that was. I guess it was probably mom or something, who had e-mailed her about it, gushing about my life more than she did hers. Good thing mom didn't know much about my recent life. I tried to continue the conversation, noting it'd been a long moment of silence since I'd said anything. "Yeah, I guess I have. On the outside…"

She laughed, "Oh, on the inside too. I mean, you finally found another boyfriend, first one since that KC fiasco." She scoffed on the other side of the line. "He wasn't all that great, anyway. But a nice _first_ boyfriend…"

My jaw literally dropped, I mean, there was no way mom would have e-mailed her about that, I mean only I could have. "Darcy… how'd you know about that?"

She chuckled. "What are you talking about, I was there when you _met _KC! It's not like I didn't care enough to remember." I rolled my eyes and huffed into the phone, annoyed that she didn't realize I hadn't meant my _old _boyfriend. But of course, like Alli, I would have to spell it out for her.

"I'm not talking about KC—I know _you _know about him. I'm talking about_ Eli_."

"Oh, yeah, your _new _boyfriend," she started, giggling like she used to when she was a _freshman_. "I don't really know why you're asking me _how _I know about him, you know, I _do _read my e-mail. Especially when it has the title '_You won't believe this, I got a new BF!'_" My eyes widened, I hadn't sent her that, and I never would. I mean, c'mon, I never even used "BF".

"Darce… I didn't send that."

She paused. "Yeah, you did. I know you did, it came from _your _E-mail. I mean, you do have a new boyfriend, right?"

"Well… yeah—" 

"Then you sent it, there's no point in trying to lie to me, Clare, I'm a little smarter than you take me for," she explained. I could almost imagine her, rolling her eyes. "That was a cute little story—the way you guys met."

I smiled slightly as the memory hit me. "Yeah, it was nice."

Darcy laughed and the air-headed tone I had added to that little sentence, before groaning and muttering, "I gotta go, Africa calls! But, Clare, I must say, you're getting more like me everyday."

I rolled my eyes, "And that's supposed to be a _good _thing?"

"Oh, shut up!" My sister added playfully before hanging up, the line turning off. I set my phone on the side table and laid my head back down, closing my eyes for merely a second before realizing who sent that e-mail, the only other person (except for Eli, of course) who knew the story. _Alli. _

…..

"Hey, Clare," Sav nodded when I showed up at the Bhandari residence the next afternoon. It wasn't _that _big a deal, but I was going to talk to Alli anyway, maybe test how good an actor I was.

"Hi, Sav." I smiled sweetly up at him, noting how incredibly tall he seemed this time around. He'd seen me enough though and just moved, so I could walk through the door, knowing I was going to his sister. "Thanks, Sav," I added as I headed toward the stairs, completely satisfied with the short conversation we usually managed.

"No problem," he replied, before returning to his guitar, which he'd left on the coffee table.

I walked up the winding staircase, and then through the long hallway, doing as I always did, glimpsing at the art that lined the hall. I stayed silent as I wandered past their parent's room, glancing at the small painting that separated it from Sav's room, the door left open to reveal the messy state of his bedroom. I made sure to hide my light giggle just as I reached Alli's room, shoving the door open to manage my best dramatic entrance.

"Alli!" I yelled with an annoyed, slightly angry, tone.

Her eyes moved from her computer screen to me, her eyebrows arching. "Clare…" a slight hint of nervousness crossed her face, a bit of guilt that I knew wouldn't last very long. "What's wrong?"

I scoffed, inwardly praising myself on how _real _it sounded, I guess I had picked up a bit from the musical I worked on. "You know what's wrong, Alliah." I stated, plopping myself on the bed and crossing my arms over my chest and letting a soft huff escape my lips. "You hacked my e-mail account, I thought I could _trust you!_"

I fought a smirk as her expression pulled into a frown. "I'm sorry, Clare. I didn't think you would care that much."

I didn't know how long I could keep my composure, but I continued anyway. "That's just it, you don't _think_! What if I didn't want Darcy to know?" She looked down, obviously feeling ashamed. And that's when I lost it, I burst into laughter.

She looked at me with a blank face before this amused grin spread across his face. "Ohmygod, Clare!" She got up and sat next to me, pushing me softly. "You scared the hell out of me! I thought you really meant that!"

I laughed even harder at that, thinking to myself, _That was very _new _Clare of me. _

**I think I have a sort of ending planned. Since this was basically a filler chapter.**

**Basically, I don't want this to last forever and ever to the point it looses it's plotline.**

**Because if I keep going like this, it will.**

**So I expect two, maybe three more. Maybe an epilogue. I'm not sure yet..**

**And sorry that I took a long time to update, I wasn't completely sure where to go next.**


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